As an interior designer, I have always loved Native American hand drums for their natural beauty when used for rustic decor, and for the significant role they play in American Indian drum music. Most people I meet do not realize that these hand drums are among the most famous cultural icons in the world. For hundreds of years, American Indian people relied on their belief in the extraordinary power of these drums for spiritual and healing purposes, and have always thought of the hand drum as a prized possession among all Native American musical instruments. Even though all Native American drums have comparable characteristics about them, you may not realize that native drums vary in many ways depending on the tribe. Some tribes use the hand drum exclusively in secret ceremonies, whereas in others, they are the main focus of the public event or powwow. Native people also use these hand held musical instruments for dance, personal meditating and in sweat lodges. No matter how they are used, the hand drum still plays a key role in American Indian music and in Native culture today. When purchasing one of these beautiful drums to add to your western style home decor ... 

When you ask someone why he or she likes a band, performer or style of music, the usual response is either, "they're awesome," “they rock" or "it's fun stuff." People tend to say that music is simply for entertainment. And as for musicians, the reason they play music either involves "the call" to do so or the ego-driven need to stand in front of a crowd. But why do we even have music? Is it, as Shakespeare stated, "to soothe the savage beast"? It's not like it's life or death. Or is it?  For Gera Clark and John Sarantos, who perform on Native American flutes as the NightDancers, music is that deep. Mr. Santos started with the simple desire to express himself musically, but discovered that the Native American flute, by its nature, takes one beyond pigeonholed functions, including new-age "meditation" music. Ms. Clark's journey to music started with desperately needing something of a life line at a critical time. She states: "After a prolonged critical illness, I began to put my life back together... While on this spiritual path, I discovered the Native American flute." In this era of art-as-diversion, or lifestyle accessory, it is a wonderfully pleasant surprise ... 

Pakistani music features many diverse elements that include elements from other parts of South Asia in addition to Central Asian folk music, Persian music, Turkish music, Arabic music and even some recent influence from American music. With so many influences, Pakistani music has become a fusion of many sounds that results in a distinct Pakistani sound. When it comes to Hindi songs you typically think of snake charmers with simple musical instruments that play simple musical tones. However, Pakistani music is drastically different than this common image. Throughout the past decade, Pakistani music has dramatically changed and is now focused on Pakistani pop songs. Many Pakistani singers have been seen in the movies singing Bollywood songs. Pakistan has some of the biggest names in music today. Back during the sixties Noor Jehan was considered one of the biggest icons in Pakistani music. Then there was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan who was considered to be responsible for the survival of Pakistani music. He is responsible for bringing Pakistani music to the attention of the world. He was the first Pakistani singer to reach an international market and made Pakistani music popular throughout the world. Even today people throughout the world continue ...